


one last howl

by LegaciesandMemories



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26297962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegaciesandMemories/pseuds/LegaciesandMemories
Summary: There was no reason for Akamaru to be this cold.
Relationships: Akamaru (Naruto) & Inuzuka Kiba
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	one last howl

**Author's Note:**

> Idk why I decided to cry today. Here ya go. Based on a reddit prompt.

Akamaru’s body was growing cold and stiff. Kiba stared down at his best friend in a muted sense of confusion. He couldn’t remember any time Akamaru had been cold—he remembered sneaking Akamaru into the Academy inside his hood, and almost getting caught by Iruka-sensei because Akamaru nearly _burned his goddamn neck_ from body heat. 

Things were crazy different, now—there was no war, he’d been able to find someone who loved animals as he did, Naruto was Hokage for god’s sake, but Akamaru was never _cold._ He walked slower, maybe, and his muzzle had gotten a bit gray, but it’s Akamaru. And some things, some things were supposed to stay the same. _Weren’t they?_

Hana stared at him, for once in her life actually being silent. She stepped back from the physician’s table, frowning. Kiba snorted, and tried not to think about how Akamaru’s breathing was so quiet, he couldn’t really hear it anymore. 

“Lemme guess,” he said, looking towards the window, focusing on the kids running out of the Academy. Kiba had been at the vet for what? 3 hours? “I’m going to have to put him in a sweater now when we go out. Akemaru’s going to laugh his ass off.” 

He could hear the frown in his nee-san’s voice. “Kiba—” 

“I can’t really put him in my hood anymore. Even if I could, he’d probably pee on my neck or something as a joke.” 

“Kiba—” 

The kids blurred. What the hell was in his eyes? “Tamaki’s gonna coddle him even more now. She treats him too much like a damn cat as it is—” 

“Kiba, he’s gone.”

A crash. His fist had gone through one of the tables. The wood splintered on the white tile. Kiba stared at the pieces. 

Hana had come closer, and put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry Kiba.” He looked up, but he couldn’t make out her face because his eyes decided to give up on him. What the hell? She had put the stethoscope down, and stretched her arms around him. 

She had the same smell as always—lavender and latex from spending most of her time in the vet’s office, and the underlying dog smell of Kuromaru, the husky she adopted after the war. She was most likely climbing the walls at the compound waiting for Hana to come home. 

Akamaru was still lying stiff on the table. 

“You saw,” she said, incredibly softly. Kiba still hadn’t moved. “He wasn’t in pain. He just went to sleep.” 

He had seen. Akamaru had been sleeping almost all the time these days. It was one of the reasons Kiba brought him in—he’d bump into things that normally he would be able to see, or throw up his food, or curl up next to Kiba and whine softly for hours. 

Kiba had thought—had _hoped_ —for a cold. Hana had been fixing Akamaru up for years, she’d know what to do. 

But Akamaru had gone to sleep on the table...and he hadn’t woken up. 

“He lived a long life, just like the Haimaru brothers,” she whispered, and Kiba could hear the grief in her voice. Hana lived through the war, but none of the Haimaru brats he’d helped bathe and walk growing up had survived. They weren’t even able to do a proper Inuzuka ceremony. Stupid Zetsu. 

“C’mon, Kiba. Kaa-san’s going to help us prepare.” She didn’t have to say what for, but as she tugged him away, he stopped. 

“I promised I would never leave him,” he whispered, still fixated on Akamaru’s body. His eyes were burning. 

“You’re not,” Hana replied, turning to stare at him. “You know you’re not. We’re going to help him pass on.” 

“I made a _promise,_ ” Kiba repeated, and his voice gave up on him halfway through. His shoulders shook. Akamaru was supposed to get up and follow him out the door. Kiba couldn’t leave him. 

The world swam, and he buried his face in Hana’s shoulder. After a lifetime of being picked on for being smallest in the pack, he was finally taller, dwarfing her by several inches. Somehow, though, Kiba felt like he was that idiot kid again, holding up a new puppy that had the balls to piss in his face seconds after meeting him. 

* * *

Hours passed in a blur. The world, for all its constant noise, felt exceedingly quiet. There was no heavy breathing following him, no padding footsteps that had become the necessary white noise of his life. Somehow, Kiba and Hana ended up back at the Inuzuka compound, where Tamaki and Kaa-san waited. In the back of his mind, he knew other members of the clan would prepare for the ceremony tonight, but everything felt too quiet. Kiba _hated_ it. 

Tamaki immediately hugged him, and mechanically, he returned it. He had heard the word _‘sorry’_ enough for the next five years. Akemaru curled around his legs, whining. 

Kaa-san stared at him, saying nothing, before sitting down on the couch.

Kiba sniffed the air, and despite the hundreds of dogs he could smell that had come in and out of here, he could barely smell Akamaru. His fist clenched. 

“Akamaru lived a long life, and now he’s gone.” She said bluntly. Kiba ground his teeth. 

“Did you care for him?” 

Tamaki’s eyes widened. “Tsume-sama—” 

Kiba made a wordless noise and gaped at her, incredulous. Kaa-san raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

“Did you love him?” 

He looked down to where his fists were bunched. Tamaki snaked her hand into his, and the action grounded him slightly. Kiba nodded wordlessly.

“You took care of him, you loved him, you did your best by him, and he did his best by you, pup.” Kaa-san walked closer and kneeled next to him. “Grieve him, but know there was nothing else for you to do. Akamaru left this world knowing you loved him.” She got to her feet. 

“Now get up. We have to help his spirit pass.”

* * *

Kiba had gone to Inuzuka ceremonies his entire life. He had watched the Fire ceremony for as long as he could remember; the clan would gather and talk about whatever member or ninken had passed. After prayer, the body would be burned to reach the Pure Lands, and members would share stories about the fallen until the flames died out. 

(During the war, with so many dead, they did a mass ceremony, and no Inuzuka left the compound for three days.)

Kiba was no stranger to the ceremonies, and had cried for the ninken and family members who had passed. But this, this was different. 

The ceremony started at sunset, before the stars came out. As Kiba walked into the meadow behind the compound, he was surprised to find his friends. All of them.

Tenten and Lee. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. Sakura, Sai, and Naruto. And Hinata, Shino, and Kurenai-sensei, right at the front. Tamaki guided him forward. 

His friends didn’t say much besides their condolences. If it had been for any other reason, if Kiba had been in any mood besides the strange detachment he found himself suspended in, he might have made a joke. He thanked them all instead. 

The prayers occurred without a hitch, with Kaa-san leading as clan head. Kiba’s vision blurred as two clan members brought Akamaru’s body. Kiba lurched forward and put a hand on the stiff fur. 

“It’s time, pup,” Kaa-san said quietly. Kiba nodded. This part he did alone. 

Lead weighed down his legs as he carried Akamaru’s body towards the flame. With a shaky exhale, he placed Akamaru on top of the pyre. 

The flame roared. 

He was supposed to go first, Kiba knew. He started off the words, the stories. But his throat was clogged. He coughed lightly. 

“I—” he shook his head as his throat decided to close up. He didn’t know whose hand was on his arm, but judging by the fresh linen and vanilla scent, it was Hinata. 

“When I first met you, I thought you were just another cool friend,” Kiba started. “I could take you to classes with me, and feed you treats while Iruka-sensei had his back turned.” Someone laughed in the quiet. “But things got real serious real quick, and no matter what fights, and what battles we faced, you were there for me. And you helped me get stronger to protect the people we cared about, even when you got hurt in the process.” He remembered those first battles. and the fear of making it through a fight by the skin of his teeth. Kiba remembered staying in the vet, waiting for Hana’s all clear that Akamaru was healthy and safe. 

“You’ve stayed by my side this whole time, and grew alongside me,” he whispered. “You were the most loyal partner I could have asked for, and more. It’s not—” his voice cut off with an embarrassing sob in the quiet. “It won’t be the same without you, but I want you to know how thankful I am that I got to spend my life by your side. Thank you.” 

He wiped his face roughly with his sleeve. 

“Thanks for staying by my brother’s side, Akamaru,” Hana said, louder than he had been. She smiled into the flames. “I remember that a little after you were born, when it was time to bond to a human Inuzuka member, you ran out of the ceremony.” 

Kiba blinked. He’d never heard that before. 

“You ran right into this meadow, and straight towards Kiba.” Hana gave him a teary grin. “And I knew you’d always be there for him.” 

Hana stepped back. 

“You did well, Akamaru,” Kaa-san said. “You’ve done this pack a service. Thank you for being a part of our family, and bonding with this knucklehead.”

Laughs spread around the pyre. Kiba smiled slightly.

Surprisingly, Shino stepped forward. 

“Thank you for being on Team 8, Akamaru. Even though you tried multiple times to urinate on my kikachu—” A laugh burst from Kiba’s chest. He had forgotten about that. “I value you as a treasured comrade. Why? You were always there as our fifth member. We are in your debt.” Shino bowed towards the pyre, and though unnecessary, Kiba felt a surge of gratitude. 

Hinata stepped forward. “Akamaru, thank you for always looking after the team and Kurenai-sensei. Thank you for being brave when I wasn’t.” She smiled. “I remember during one of our missions, when Kiba-kun managed to set himself on fire, you were able to pick him up and throw him into the river.” What Kiba _thought_ was a laugh came from Shino. “Thank you for your constant observation.” 

Kurenai-sensei went next. “Akamaru, during our first meetings, you were the only one able to see through my genjutsu, besides Hinata. Your sharp eye and quick instincts helped raise Team 8 into a solid group, and carried towards the next generation. Thank you for being a part of our team.” 

Kurenai-sensei nodded at him, and he nodded back. A few moments passed where no one spoke. 

“Akamaru peed on me once,” Naruto said in the silence. His brow furrowed. “Wait, no, maybe 5 times.” The entire clan and Kiba’s friends laughed at their Hokage. Naruto rubbed the back of his head. 

“Despite that, Akamaru probably saved my life 10 times over. Thank you, Akamaru, for always looking out for us. We needed it. Especially Kiba.” Naruto grinned at him, and Kiba shouted. 

“Hey!” 

The stories went on. It seemed that most of the clan (and Rookie 9) had been caught in Kiba and Akamaru’s hijinks at one point or the other. There were stories Kiba hadn’t known. There were some he had forgotten. 

But the flames had started to flicker, and, cognizant of the fading embers, people began to speak less. When the fire was about to die, Kiba spoke up again. 

“Rest now, Akamaru.” And the flame guttered out. 

* * *

The next day, on his way back to his apartment, he picked up on an unfamiliar scent in the darkness. He swiveled in front of Tamaki, making a signal for Akamaru—

His hand shook. Kiba put it down.

“Maa, I see the Inuzuka nose is still sharp as ever.” 

Kakashi-sensei sprung from a tree, soundless as usual, not taking his eye off his book. Kiba’s muscles relaxed. 

“Kakashi-sensei?” He had tried calling the man Rokudaime-sama and had gotten a kunai straight through his favorite jacket. He knew better than to make the same mistake. “What are you doing here?” 

“I was in the neighborhood.” As far as Kiba knew, Kakashi-sensei lived far from the Inuzuka clan compound. He tilted his head. He couldn’t smell when Kakashi-sensei lied, maybe due to whatever chakra trick he was doing to keep his scent unrecognizable. Kiba had given up on making sense of the Hatake. 

“Tamaki-san, would you mind if I borrowed Kiba for a moment?” Tamaki gave him a concerned look, but he waved her forward. She continued on towards the apartment. 

Kiba turned back to Kakashi-sensei. “What did you want to talk about?” 

Kakashi-sensei said nothing for a moment, then, “Kurenai told me about Akamaru.” 

There was no _I’m sorry_ there, and that was more than fine by Kiba. One more ‘I’m sorry’ and Kiba would start baring his teeth. 

Kakashi-sensei waved towards his hand. “I still try to summon my ninken sometimes, even if they can’t come. Sometimes I forget.” 

Kiba suddenly remembered this man had 8 ninken. He hadn’t seen Kakashi-sensei around the vet’s office lately. 

A sinking feeling settled in his stomach. 

Maybe something showed on his face, because Kakashi-sensei shook his head slightly. “I still have one. Shiba. You still have Akemaru, right?” 

Where was Akemaru? Shit. Hopefully, Tamaki had him. Kiba nodded anyway.

Kakashi-sensei squeezed his shoulder, startling him.

“Keep him close, and remember, Akamaru is still with you, always.” The man’s eyes bore into him. “No being is more loyal than ninken, even in death.” 

* * *

Kakashi-sensei unsurprisingly was right. 

For a while, people had been able to sneak up on him more. Kiba still expected to hear a throaty bark as a warning, and it never came. He’d signal for Akamaru, but Akamaru couldn’t come. Some days it was easier to remember. Other days he pushed through to forget. 

Keeping Akemaru close helped more. Akemaru burrowed closer to Kiba most nights, or curled up in Akamaru’s favorite spots to whine for hours. It helped that someone else _got_ it, that someone else’s world had shifted so drastically in Akamaru’s absence. Sometimes it wasn’t enough, but Kiba tried for Akemaru, and that was what mattered. 

He enjoyed how lively Akemaru could be, even if he missed comfortable silences with Akamaru. No matter what, it was still hilarious to watch Akemaru battle with Tamaki’s cats over the space in their apartment. Akamaru’s mission lived on. 

Weeks after the funeral, Kiba found Hinata and her daughter in the market. The girl was a dead ringer for Hinata in looks, but somehow had preserved all of Naruto’s personality. It was fascinating. 

Himawari bounced around the dango stand, clearly trying to negotiate with Hinata over a treat. Judging by the small smile quirking at Hinata’s lips, Hima was already more than halfway there. 

“Look at you two,” Kiba called. Hinata turned and smiled. “Where’s the mini Naruto?” 

Hima grinned. “Nii-san is on a mission!” Her eyes were comically wide. “He’s going to bring me back a souvenir.” 

“Is that so?” he said, stroking his chin. “What do you think he’ll bring you?” 

Himawari’s eyes sparkled. Hinata laughed lightly as the girl ran through her analysis, an almost manic sheen to her eyes. 

Kiba didn’t know how Himawari (and by extension, Naruto) spoke so quickly without taking a breath in between. 

“—He’s going towards Suna, so maybe he’ll bring back a plant! Uncle Gaara always brings cacti when he visits.” 

Kiba saw the dango stand owner pass Himawari a stick, and she gasped. 

“Thank you sir!” Hinata shot a playful glare at the stand owner, and reached to pay for the treat. Kiba stopped her, pulling out his wallet in the same motion. 

“I’ve got it.” 

Himawari grinned, mouth full of dango. “Thank you Uncle Kiba!” 

Hinata gave him a matching grin. “Thank you, Kiba.” She paused, taking him in almost clinically. “How are you?” 

His old teammate never stopped caring. “I’m doing alright.” Hinata turned to her daughter. 

“Hima, didn’t you have something you wanted to give to Uncle Kiba?” Himawari swallowed her treat, before nodding vigorously. 

“I almost forgot!” She reached into her hoodie, and pulled out a folded piece of paper. 

“This is for you Uncle Kiba.” Her smile drooped. “Kaa-chan said Akamaru had to go away.”

Ah. He glanced at Hinata, who stared at him sympathetically. He leaned down to Himawari’s height, and accepted the paper. 

“Thank you, Himawari.” 

Kiba unfolded the paper. It was a stick figure wearing a black coat, similar to his, with his name written at the figure’s feet. Next to him was Akemaru, extremely red, with an extremely wide smile. Himawari drew herself next to both of them, reaching out a hand to pet Akemaru. 

And above all three, Himawari drew clouds, with a white and gray blob-like shape emerging from them. 

_Uncle Kiba + Akamaru Forever_ was written in messy kanji. 

The picture blurred. Himawari gasped again. 

“Sorry Uncle Kiba! I didn’t mean to make you sad.” Kiba swallowed roughly, and smiled. 

“I’m not sad, Himawari, I’m happy.” 

“Really?” She asked. Kiba nodded, and surprisingly, he meant it. She held her arms out for a hug, and he accepted immediately.

“Thank you for the picture, it’s beautiful.” 

* * *

That night, Tamaki cooed at the photo taped to their fridge. Kiba rolled his eyes as he pet Akemaru, but he knew he wouldn’t be taking it down any time soon. 

He hoped that somewhere in the Pure Lands, Akamaru could see it. 


End file.
